Joost made mistakes - so what?

I, like millions of other viewers, watched the Joost interview on Sunday night with much sadness. Seeing a man who was once one of South Africa’s great sportsmen reduced to his condition was heart wrenching.

He's made mistakes like all of us – so what?

He has his faults like all of us – so what?

He's a hero that's fallen from grace – so what?

He is still a father, a brother, a son……

My heart goes out to Joost who once again is a hero in my eyes. A man humbled by his circumstances. Living each day as if it were his last.

What has transpired between him and Amor nobody will ever know fully. But as an ex-wife myself (and an embittered one at that), I would ensure that my children saw their dad as much as possible in what little time he has remaining, for the sake of the children and nothing else. They need this time to bond with their dad and create memories that they will carry with them for a lifetime and in my humble opinion, they deserve that opportunity.

Joost is a great man of Faith and his faith has carried him thus far. I for one will not persecute another one of South Africa's great fallen sports heroes until his death and then talk about what an awesome man he was. I didn't buy into that type of hypocrisy with Hansie and I don’t buy into it now.

All credence to Joost van der Westhuizen – a man of strength, a man of determination, a man of courage and a man who certainly makes me stand up and say: "I am proudly South African."

Disclaimer: This is an article written by a Channel24 user. The views of users published on Channel24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Channel24. Channel24 reserves the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.